New to reloading! After doing all the prep work and I go to seat my bullets they keep varying. I have a Forester press and a Forester micrometer seater die. All the brass is Lapua all sized the same. Have a Lee neck die with .002 tension. Trimmed all the brass to the same length. Using Hornady ELD-X bullets., Am trying to get a OAL of 2.466 which puts me .025 off the lands. When I go to seat my bullets one will be correct at 2.466 next one will be 2.471 then maybe 2.473 then 2.468 then maybe another correct one. Is this normal or am I doing something wrong? I can't believe I have to adjust the die every time? Any help would be appreciated thanks
Variations in seating depth
- Thread starter Nuclear Worker
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I would check are:
1) Are you cramming you press over and using the same pressure?
2) Have you checked bullet consistency and tried sorting bullets with a comparator?
3) Are your bullet tips touching your seating stem?
4) Did you use Dry Neck Lube in the new (clean) necks?
I prefer to cam over my Rock Chucker, I check bullets and set my Seater to the longer average, then tweak all of them as needed (typically only have to correct a few in a batch). I make sure my seating stem fits the bullet I'm using properly and I use Imperial Dry Neck Lube always.
Hope this helps.
Steve
1) Are you cramming you press over and using the same pressure?
2) Have you checked bullet consistency and tried sorting bullets with a comparator?
3) Are your bullet tips touching your seating stem?
4) Did you use Dry Neck Lube in the new (clean) necks?
I prefer to cam over my Rock Chucker, I check bullets and set my Seater to the longer average, then tweak all of them as needed (typically only have to correct a few in a batch). I make sure my seating stem fits the bullet I'm using properly and I use Imperial Dry Neck Lube always.
Hope this helps.
Steve
Varmint Hunter
Well-Known Member
Your seater stem seats off the ojive. You're probably measuring the OAL from cartridge base to bullet tip. If so, you will almost always see a variation. Measure your completed cartridge from the cartridge base to the ojive using a bullet comparator. My guess is that your ammo is much more consistent in the measurement that counts.
Measuring off the bullet tip is only useful to determine cartridge length VS magazine length.
Measuring off the bullet tip is only useful to determine cartridge length VS magazine length.
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You need to measure CBTO (cartridge base to ogive) with a comparator.
Laguna Freak
Well-Known Member
Exactly this
THIS! Not uncommon for bullets to vary by half a thousandth more or less, especially lead or plastic tipped bullets.
Betarider
Well-Known Member
If you have a threaded shell holder and you didn't lock it down every cartridge will have a different coal
rsbhunter
Well-Known Member
How much neck tension do you have? What are the fired, resized and bullet seated neck diameters? My biggest break in consistent seating depth came when I went to .002 neck tension, brushed the inside of necks, and use dry lube on the inside of the necks.....now I'm worried if my bto varies by .0015....
Lee's Dead Length Seating Die. It contacts the shell holder when seating. This may remove any slop in the press linkage.
As said, measure off the buillets ogive. Remove the seating plug from the die and use it to compare/measure case head to ogive between rounds.
As said, measure off the buillets ogive. Remove the seating plug from the die and use it to compare/measure case head to ogive between rounds.
bullet man
Well-Known Member
It's probably the bullets. I load ten and then measure to find the longest one in the group, then use it for any adjustments.
vancewalker007
Well-Known Member
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Lots of things can cause this. The biggest is variations in case neck tension which happens more to cases you are reusing after firing. This is caused by the necks becoming work hardened and is fixed by annealing. I anneal every 2 shots, some people anneal every shot.
Another thing that causes it is variation in bullet ogive. They can vary and those bullets you are using vary. The most consistent bullets I've used are any mono bullets like Barnes and Bergers. Bergers are very consistent.
Another very common issue can be caused by you. The speed you run your press ram needs to be the same everytime. I try to use a slow smooth stroke, now you're laughing. A tip related to this is going past your number by to heavy of a stroke. As you set up you die slowly sneaking in the last few thousand we tend to use very slow press movements. Then the first full seating of the next bullet we use a normal speed and whoops, past the mark. Just be aware of this. If you get one too short it's easy to fix. Put it in your bullet puller hammer and give it a gentle tap, viola, it's longer.
I just loaded 20 7mm LRM rounds so this was fresh in my mind. I was using new cases so no issues with neck hardness. I was wanting 2.706 ogive measurement. I snuck up to 2.706 on the first one, the second one was 2.7075 because I was being careful not do the going past issue. So, I ran it a little firmer a second time and pushed it to 2.7065. then I eased the die down just a hair and the rest turned out 2.706-2.707 except the last one which had a looser neck (I could feel it as I seated it). I had to use the puller tap method so it went from 2.7045 to 2.706, perfect.
The point of me telling you this is +/- .0015 is the rule of thumb I use. Learned it from my father who has been loading for about 50 years.
rsbhunter
Well-Known Member
The other process that helped a lot with consistency as to shoulder bump and seating depth was when I started annealing...my annealing machine isn't a $1000 machine, maybe $60-90 total , but is an awesome help in keeping consistency....here's a pic of the one I built....there are definitely better, but my budget didn't go that high...
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